Murphy, Johnson Spar Over Myriad Issues

In Recent Debate

By John Voket

On a national perspective, as well as locally, the war in Iraq is an issue that hits home considering the many Newtown children and even a few parents actively serving in and out of direct conflict.

Certainly the issue of affordable, adequate health care is important, as is the state of America’s education systems. The country’s ability to sustain and grow good paying jobs while enhancing its competitiveness in the global marketplace is another critical concern.

But those issues and others were already discussed during an October 23 debate between incumbent Congresswoman Nancy Johnson and her Democratic challenger, Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy. So when The Bee was afforded an opportunity to ask about one issue that was unexplored during the recent Waterbury debate, the newspaper asked about environmental preservation.

Given Newtown’s aggressive initiative toward preserving tracts of remaining open space, The Bee wanted to know how each candidate would be able to help at the federal level.

Mr Murphy said Connecticut has already made great strides in open space preservation, but assistance that might come from the federal level was becoming more limited.

“In fact, Nancy Johnson was the only member of the Connecticut delegation to vote for massive cuts to the open space preservation program at the federal level,” Mr Murphy said. “Funds for the federal government to partner with state municipalities in buying tracts of open land are drying up. We can’t continue to ask municipalities to shoulder the entirety of that burden.”

Mr Murphy said he would make it a priority to at least restore the funds Ms Johnson voted to cut from open space acquisition programs.

Congresswoman Johnson countered that she was very intent on helping towns and cities protect open space on several fronts, including helping Connecticut communities administer contaminated brownfields. She also briefly discussed a new piece of legislation for individuals that was passed this year.

“In the last pension bill we passed, we were able to tuck in a very important tax provision that will help particularly small land owners to donate land to local land trusts or adopt easements,” she said. “It allows them to earn back the entire value lost in income through tax mechanism, kind of like a reverse mortgage.”

Congresswoman Johnson said she first introduced the idea about five years ago and finally was able to get it passed this year.

Earlier in the Waterbury debate, moderator Ed Flynn asked each candidate their three priorities to improve the economic well-being for those in the Fifth District.

Sen Murphy said the number one barrier to economic growth in the region, especially to small businesses, is the increasing cost of health care.

“We [experienced] an eight percent average premium increase in health care costs in the region,” he said. “This congress is not doing enough to get a handle on health care costs.”

The challenger said transportation was another top priority, noting that the development of a new regional transportation center in Waterbury, creating a hub for commuters and goods to pass through the region between New York and Boston.

He also included increasing educational resources and job retraining as another priority.

“This state ranks close to dead last on every federal dollar we send to Washington,” Mr Murphy said. “It’s about time we started getting more bang for our buck that can primarily happen from improving educational resources here.”

He noted that the current Congress cut $430 million cut in job training programs, as well as making other cuts to student aid and student loans.

“We need to invest in our workforce to be sure we are building a new high-tech economy,” he said.

The Congresswoman said her top priority would be to ensure tax cuts the Bush Administration made stick.

“We helped those earning the lowest wage,” Ms Johnson said. “We cut the bottom tax bracket, doubled the credit for families with children, cut the marriage penalty, and we passed the broadest and most comprehensive tax cut for the middle class in a decade-and-a-half.”

Ms Johnson said she supported legislation allowing manufacturing companies take additional tax deductions on new equipment to help them stay competitive in the global marketplace, as well as breaks she helped get for the fuel-cell industry.

She said the nation has to move to a national health care policy that covers ever person who needs it, and that she wanted to see more money going directly to local schools through “flexible grants.”

Another question was posed about what each candidate would do to help wean America from its dependence on fossil fuels extracted from foreign countries.

Congresswoman Johnson said the Congress has passed “aggressive incentives” for businesses seeking and those seeking alternate energy sources.

Mr Murphy said the current congress has passed energy polices the oil and energy companies seemed to be asking for, while ignoring the needs of a growing number of small businesses.

“Two point six billion dollars in tax breaks almost all going to the major oil and gas companies as part of the Bush energy bill,” Mr Murphy said. “If you elect me I would turn all of those tax breaks right back around to small businesses and consumers to help with the cost of energy. We need to do it, and we need to do it now.”

Returning to the subject of health care and its escalating costs, Mr Murphy reminded the audience that more than three out of four of individuals without insurance in Connecticut are members of families with a full-time worker.

“It’s not because businesses don’t want to do it, it’s because they can’t afford it,” he said. “But we don’t have to spend more of our money.”

Mr Murphy suggested that shifting the health care model from reactive to preventative health care is the way to go.

Congresswoman Johnson said her opponent talked about new directions but never presented real plans.

“I have set new directions by bringing chronic disease management into Medicare,” Ms Johnson said. “We are going to keep people out of hospitals and emergency rooms.”

The congresswoman said programs that she has supported will not only improve the quality of care, but will do so while reducing costs.

Two of the latest independent polls conducted by regional daily news organizations released October 30 and 31 respectively showed Sen Murphy leading Congresswoman Johnson by between three and four points. One of the polls noted an 11 percent ratio of respondents still undecided.